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American Airlines passenger service agents have voted to be represented by a coalition of the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

AA’s agents, who staff the gates and counters at airports and handle reservations, had voted down the CWA in 2013, prior to the Dec. 9 merger of US Airways and American.

But their US Airways peers are currently represented by the CWA-Teamsters coalition, and their employees combined with American’s employees to approve the CWA-IBT association as their union.

The CWA said that of the 11,187 voting, 86.2 percent of the airport and reservations employees had voted for the CWA-Teamsters coalition: 9,640 for, 1,547 against.

American has about 9,000 employees in the class, joining about 5,500 from US Airways, for a total of 14,500 in the new group. We’re told that there were 13,962 eligible to vote. Those numbers indicate that a clear majority of all eligible employees, not just those voting, were in favor of the CWA-IBT association.

Earlier Tuesday, the National Mediation Board said the Allied Pilots Association will represent about 15,000 American and US Airways pilots. Previously, it said the Association of Professional Flight Attendants would represent 24,000 American and US Airways flight attendants.

“With today’s election results, union representation for our three largest workgroups is now settled, and we will be working with each of those unions on joint collective bargaining agreements covering the combined employee groups,” American spokesman Paul Flaningan said in a statement.

“We have enjoyed a productive relationship with the CWA-IBT as well as our other unions and look forward to continuing our work together,” he said.

“We are honored to represent a total of more than 3,000 passenger service agents at the New American Airlines,” Teamsters airline division director David Bourne said the Teamsters’ announcement.

“The Teamsters are committed to providing American Airlines employees and our existing members at US Airways with strong representation as both airlines continue to integrate in this merger,” Bourne said.

In the CWA press release, Texas reservation agent Carroll Locklear said she has worked 18 years for American “and through all of those years I have been praying for this day.”

“We have been the odd employees out for so long, because we were the only employees without union representation. Gone are the days that management can take what want when they want. This will be a win-win for all of us,” said Locklear, a home-based agent.

AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka issued this statement (CWA is an AFL-CIO member):

“Today, thousands of workers embraced a union future. The hardworking men and women of American Airlines and US Airways voted for union representation and a legally binding contract. Their collective skill has built successful airlines, and their collective voice will build successful workplaces.

“It should not be lost on the pundits that most of the nearly 14,500 new union members work in southern states. The right to a voice at work doesn’t have a geographic predisposition, and this victory will energize ongoing organizing efforts in the South.

“I want to thank all parties involved, including elected officials, for enabling workers to have a free and fair election. And I especially want to congratulate CWA and the Teamsters on helping give these workers a voice.

“Clearly, one of the largest labor organizing victories in the South in decades is a historic day. But it also shows that the future of the U.S. labor movement is alive, as these workers can be found at airports, call centers, even working from home. The right to collectively bargain will always be what our working family fights for.”

UPDATEd, Tuesday, 12:20 p.m.: Will passenger service agents at the new American Airlines want union representation?

In about a month, we’ll know. In a vote overseen by the National Mediation Board, airport and reservations employees are voting whether they want a union and whether they want the CWA-IBT Association to be that union.

The CWA lost a close vote in 2013. But since then, American and US Airways merged, and the CWA-IBT Association already represented US Airways passenger service agents, the IBT being the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

The month-long vote began Friday and is to conclude on Sept. 15.UPDATE: American Airlines informs me the vote will end at 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 16, per NMB instructions.

(There does seem to be a small hitch. Employees are being told to use an access code from page one of their ballot, not another access code on page 2.)

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly told the US Airline Pilots Association on Tuesday that it can file its own brief in support of the US Airways-American Airlines merger.

But she put a lot of provisos on that approval. In particularly, she told the union, which represents US Airways pilots, to combine its brief with that of other American Airlines and US Airways unions if everybody is making the same points.

Here’s the meat of her order allowing the union to file an amicus curaie (friend of the court) brief (We’ve divided one long paragraph into several to make it more readable):

First, the brief must be filed by no later than November 15, 2013.

Second, the brief must not exceed eight (8) pages in length.

Third, the Court requests that amicus not include factual materials that will not be presented by the parties as part of the trial record. Instead, amicus should, where possible, focus its brief on legal arguments in support of its position.

To the extent amicus incorporate factual information not introduced and subject to cross-examination by the parties, this information will be disregarded by the Court.

Finally, the Court requests that amicus coordinate its filing with, and not reiterate any arguments made by, the other unions filing a joint amicus brief in this matter.

If it becomes apparent, after communicating with counsel for other union amici in this matter, that these briefs will be making the same arguments regarding the “benefits to the public” of an approved merger, the Court asks that amicus join a single union amici brief rather than filing a separate brief.

American Airlines and US Airways had objected to a separate USAPA brief, saying it would be duplicative.

The judge earlier on Tuesday had approved an amicus filing by parties in a private antitrust lawsuit that also seeks to block the merger, the so-called Fjord lawsuit after the lead plaintiff. In that case, the judge make similar requests not to duplicate others’ arguments, etc. She gave that group up to 25 pages.

Assuming this is the last of the amici requests, here’s the lineup of friends of the court that have Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s permission to submit briefs by Nov. 15:

– Transport Workers Union with Allied Pilots Association, Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO

– Committee of Unsecured Creditors in American Airlines’ bankruptcy case

– Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Dallas Regional Chamber, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce

– US Airline Pilots Association

– Oneworld airline alliance

– Carolyn Fjord, et al., the private antitrust lawsuit and the only amicus in support of the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit to block the merger.

In addition, Oklahoma Attorney General E. Scott Pruitt has served notice that he intends to file an amicus brief.

We haven’t heard from the US Airline Pilots Association in recent weeks as other US Airways and American Airlines unions asked permission to file amici curiae (friends of the court) briefs in support of the carriers.

Well, Thursday, we have.

USAPA, which represents US Airways pilots, asked U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly for permission to file an amicus brief in the Department of Justice lawsuit to block the carriers’ proposed merger.

Said USAPA in its motion:

USAPA plans to focus its brief on addressing, from the particular perspective of US Airways pilots, the benefits an approved merger between US Airways and American Airlines would provide to competition and to consumers. USAPA anticipates that its proposed brief would thus address, inter alia, (1) the benefits to the public of a viable airline with a substantial network of routes that can compete with the industry leaders on price, service, and quality, (2) the benefits to the public of airlines retaining experienced pilots, and (3) the benefits to the public of labor peace.

Judge Kollar-Kotelly on Oct. 9 granted the request of the Transport Workers Union (AA) to file an amicus brief. On Wednesday, she granted the request of the Allied Pilots Association (AA), Association of Professional Flight Attendants (AA), Association of Flight Attendants (US) and Communications Workers of America (US) to file a brief jointly with the TWU.

The judge she also approved amici request from the Oneworld airline alliance and four cities/airports that host large American and US Airways hubs.

She is still considering the request from various chambers of commerce in AA and US cities and the unsecured creditors committee in American’s bankruptcy case. DOJ objected to those requests, and the judge gave Justice until Monday to explain.

In Wednesday’s status hearing, Judge Kollar-Kotelly gave amici filers until Nov. 15 to file their briefs, and the parties to Nov. 22 to respond to those briefs.

(My apologies for getting USAPA’s name wrong in my first version, with an ‘s’ on Airline and no ‘s’ on Pilot.)

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a number of orders Wednesday after the morning’s status conference, including:

U.S. Dsitrict Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly

– She approved Oneworld’s request to file an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief.

– She approved the request of four American Airlines and US Airways unions to file an amici brief with the Transport Workers Union.

– She approved the request of four airports and/or cities to file an amici brief, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

– She gave the U.S. Department of Justice until Monday to file three-page briefs to explain why it objects to amici briefs from the unsecured creditors committee in the American bankruptcy case and from chambers of commerce in cities with strong AA or US presences.

– She approved the final calendar for pre-trial and trial proceedings.

The calendar is the same one proposed by the airlines and the U.S. Department of Justice on Oct. 17. Keep reading for the deadlines and dates.

This American Airlines-US Airways lawsuit is getting awfully friendly.

The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors filed its own request Monday for permission to file an amicus curiae brief in favor of the American Airlines-US Airways merger.

The “friend of the court” motion follows a similar request Monday morning by four cities/airports for amici status in the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit that seeks to block the merger, and others in prior days.

In its filing, the committee said it polled the parties. The airlines don’t object to the committee’s filing, but DOJ attorneys have objected, the committee disclosed.

The unsecured creditors committee reminded U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly that she had granted permission for it to submit an amicus brief in August when Justice and the airlines were disagreeing about whether the trial should start Nov. 12 (the airlines) or in early 2013 (DOJ).

“Here, given that the Statutory Committee represents the diverse interests of AMR’snumerous unsecured creditors and has a unique perspective concerning the bankruptcyproceedings and the merger, the Statutory Committee has a substantial interest in the outcome ofthis litigation and believes that its viewpoint will assist the Court in assessing the merits of thecase.

“The Statutory Committee’s amicus brief will explain in detail how Section 7 case law isappropriately applied in the context of a proposed transaction where one of the entities is inbankruptcy, including complexities that will result if the merger is enjoined.

“AMR’s current planof reorganization, predicated on its proposed merger with US Airways, is the only plan proposedto and voted on by creditors and stakeholders and confirmed by the United States BankruptcyCourt for the Southern District of New York presiding over AMR’s pending Chapter 11 case.”

In a related filing, four unions at American and US Airways told the judge that they and the Transport Workers Union have agreed to file one amici curiae brief covering all those unions.

Judge Kollar-Kotelly previously had granted permission to the TWU to file a brief. Last week, the Allied Pilots Association, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the Communications Workers of America had filed a separate request for permission to file an amici curiae brief.

Unions representing American Airlines pilots, American and US Airways flight attendants and US Airways ground workers asked U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to let them file a brief in the antitrust case of American and US Airways.

In a Monday motion, the unions said the airlines gave their consent to their filing of an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief. The U.S. Department of Justice, which filed the lawsuit to block the US Airways-American merger, didn’t object as long as the unions filed a single brief. The states that have sided with DOJ haven’t responded, the unions said.

The union had previously gotten permission to file a brief in favor of a November trial. On Monday, they said they “request permission to file a further brief explaining why they support the merger and addressing certain benefits to competition that will flow from approval of the merger.”

“The careers of the American and US Airways employees represented by amici depend heavily on the competitive success of the merged entity and the airline industry as a whole. Because of industry-wide seniority rules, pilots and flight attendants tend to stay with one carrier for their entire careers,” the unions’ motion stated.

“For instance, the average tenure of the current APA pilots is almost 18 years and on average flight attendants have worked for American for more than 20 years. Thus, it is fair to say that few interested parties care more than the amici’s members about the long-term survival and competitiveness of the new American Airlines,” it said.

The unions behind the brief include the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American’s pilots; the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents American’s flight attendants; the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents US Airways’ flight attendants; and the Communications Workers of America, which with the Teamsters represents passenger service agents at US Airways.

The amicus curiae status would allow the unions to file a brief in support of their position backing the merger. However, they would not present evidence or call witnesses.

UPDATE, 1:45 p.m. Friday: The Allied Pilots Association, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the Transport Workers Union and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, filed an amicus curiae – friend of the court — request Friday.

They wanted to throw their support behind a Nov. 12 trial date for the antitrust lawsuit that seeks to block the US Airways-American Airlines merger. The unions support the merger, oppose the lawsuit.

“In light of the uncertainty cast upon the airline industry as a result of Plaintiffs’ [DOJ's] complaint, it is critical to the Defendants, the amici curiae, the industry and the general traveling public that this Court address the merits of Plaintiffs’ claims in an expedited manner,” the unions said in their filing Friday.

ORIGINAL ITEM: Thursday night, six unions representing the majority of employees at American Airlines and US Airways asked for a quick start to the antitrust lawsuit that is blocking the merger of their companies.

“We urge the U.S. District Court and the Department of Justice to begin the trial on November 12, 2013 in order to get to a speedy resolution to this exciting merger,” they said in a joint press release.

Joining in the statement were three unions at American – Allied Pilots Association, Association of Professional Flight Attendants and Transport Workers Union – and three unions at US Airways — US Airline Pilots Association, Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America and the Communications Workers of America.

On Jan. 24, American Airlines announced an agreement in which Republic Airways would fly 53 aircraft – 47 new and six used Embraer E-175 aircraft – under the American Eagle brand and on behalf of American.

On Friday, American filed a motion to modify the 12-year deal so that it would contract to buy only the capacity of the 47 new 76-seat aircraft rather than all 53.

“The modifications will reduce the cost of the transaction to American without jeopardizing American’s ability to promptly secure the benefits of the Agreement or comprising the Debtors’ schedule to phase the aircraft covered by the Agreement into operation as contemplated by the Debtors’ business plan,” American said in its filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

American’s filing blacked out all the figures about the savings it would achieve and daily rebates it will earn each day on each aircraft.

Here are the reasons cited by American for excluding the used airplanes:

“The removal of the 6 used aircraft allows for the removal of 1 of the 3 operational spare aircraft that should result in a reduced cost to American of approximately $[redacted] annually.

“The removal of the 6 used aircraft also allows the parties additional time to address configuration issues that may arise in connection with phasing the aircraft into operation and eliminates approximately $[redacted] to $[redacted] of one time configuration charges per aircraft that would have been American’s responsibility (a total additional savings to American of approximately $[redacted] to $[redacted]).

“Lastly, the removal of the 6 used aircraft should also increase the Debtors’ overall EJet fleet fuel efficiency due to the fact that a higher percentage of the now 47 aircraft will be delivered with fuel technology enhancements.”

The contract has been opposed by the Transport Workers Union, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the Air Line Pilots Association, the three unions that represent employees at AMR Eagle Holdings and its two airlines, Executive Airlines Inc. and American Eagle Airlines Inc.

“TWU members have worked too hard and sacrificed too much to restructure American Eagle’s business, including agreeing to modified collective bargaining agreements after challenging negotiations extending over a period of time, for American to now outsource work that could and should be performed by American Eagle and its employees,” TWU said in its filing.

We’ve learned that American Airlines passenger service agents voted against union representation.

In a vote that ended Tuesday, 3,052 voted against union representation to 2,902 who voted in favor of union representation, including 2,891 votes for the Communications Workers of America.

“We’re pleased that our reservations, customer service and premium services employees voted to remain independent,” American spokeswoman Missy Cousino said. “American thanks everyone who took part in this election. The company looks forward to continuing to work closely and directly with our agents and representatives as we build the new American Airlines.” -

“I’m disappointed,” CWA organizer Michael Lo Vuolo said Tuesday afternoon. “But when you look at how much the company spent fighting it and putting doubt in the minds of people about the future of their jobs, I think we did a good job.”

This represented a 76.4 percent turnout of the 7,792 eligible voters. We take note that when this process began in 2011, there were close to 10,000 eligible voters.

The write-in votes were six for the Transport Workers Union, two for the International Association of Machinists, one for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one for the United Auto Workers and one for the Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, a German trade union.